Turkey and Missed Telephone Calls
by Objessions
Summary: Mac is avoiding a holiday phone call from his dad, and winds up missing one from someone more important.


_A/N - I needed some fluff today. Happy Thanksgiving._

Bozer woke to an inviting aroma. Coffee, cinnamon … was that fresh bread?

Maybe he didn't make it off the rooftop in Bolivia. Maybe he died and went straight to Heaven.

The steady throbbing from the graze he'd gotten on his arm told him otherwise. He wondered if it was time for some more of the souped up Tylenol he'd left Phoenix Medical with.

He rolled over to check the digital clock on his nightstand. It was only about 6 am. But that was late enough to take some medicine and get some of that coffee he could smell. He could also go figure out why their house smelled like a bakery before the sun was up.

He pushed himself to sitting with a groan. The Knife Wound, Bullet Hole, Shrapnel Club was seriously uncool. He struggled into his sling. Mac was being a real pain in the ass about him wearing it. He couldn't tell if Mac was really worried about him or if it was some kind of weird revenge for all his fussing over Mac over the years. Probably the former. Mac wasn't really a revenge kind of guy.

Boze shuffled out into the kitchen to find their counter covered with muffins, cinnamon rolls, and three pies. Mac was just pulling a beautiful braided loaf of bread out of the oven when he looked up and saw his roommate.

"Morning, Boze. How you feeling?"

"Like the next time you yell duck I should listen faster," he laughed, and sat down on one of their stools. "What about you? Did you wake up to fight off a legion of holiday elves trying to overtake our kitchen this morning, or what?"

Mac slid the bread onto a cooling rack and put the pan into their overflowing sink. "Elves would be good. I bet they do the dishes."

He filled a coffee cup, stirred in cream and sugar, and put it in front of Bozer. "Thanks. Seriously though. What's going on out here?"

Mac grinned. "Well, I figured you're not gonna be able to go all Gordon Ramsay on me today since you've only got one hand. I thought if I got all the baking out of the way, it would help. You can walk me through the rest." He frowned. He still wasn't great with much other than kitchen chemistry. Even some baked goods still eluded him. "Ri said she'd help. She's still planning on lunch with us and then dinner at her mom's."

Bozer didn't answer for a minute. That all in one breath Mac over explaining himself answer was the sort of thing he expected to hear in the field when Mac wasn't sure his idea was going to work. Not something he was used to in the middle of their kitchen. "That's good," he began. "But you been cooking since last night or something?" He gestured you the ridiculous array of pastry.

Mac shrugged and put a cinnamon roll on a plate and put it in front of Bozer. "I used your mom's recipe. If I did it right, I expect you to give me credit when she calls today." Bozer continued to give him his best low key concerned friend look. Mac turned to start the dishes. "I was up early. I figured why not get a head start."

So Mac hadn't slept. And he wasn't going to just say so. _Hmmm_. "You hear from your dad?"

That would explain the not sleeping. Things were not good between Mac and his father. As far as Bozer knew they hadn't been in the same room anywhere other than the War Room since the Mason incident. And even that was pretty minimal. Matty seemed to be making sure they didn't have to interact.

Mac shrugged. "He called last night."

"Oh? What'd he say?"

"No idea. I let it go to voicemail."

"You didn't even listen to it?"

Mac shrugged again. "He didn't bother to leave one."

Mac's tone told him to drop it. So Bozer pulled apart the cinnamon roll and popped a bite sized piece in his mouth. "Oh man, Mom is gonna be mad. These are better than hers."

Mac flashed a grin over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"What'd you do different from the recipe?"

The dishes weren't done, but Mac dried his hands and grabbed one of the rolls for himself and sat on another stool near Boze at the counter. "Sour cream in the frosting. I thought the acidity would balance out the sweetness."

"Is that a secret ingredient or can I tell her?"

Mac smiled again but Boze thought this time it looked a little sad. "I think we have enough secrets in our lives that we don't need to extend them to baked goods."

_Hmmmmmm,_ he thought again with a little more intensity. "So Ri is coming over to do lunch with us. Matty's coming. What about Desi? She ever give you an answer?"

Mac crammed a large amount of cinnamon roll into his mouth at almost exactly that moment. "Mmmmmfffffmmmm."

Boze just raised an eyebrow.

Mac grudgingly swallowed and took a swig of Bozer's coffee since he'd left his own on the other side of the kitchen. He sighed. "I invited her. Like three times. She said, and I quote, 'I'll try to stop by' and then she said something about having to pick up a friend at the airport and beer and football and walked away mid sentence to go to the range to shoot at stuff."

"Sounds like Desi," Bozer said. "You think she'll show?"

"Maybe. I told her there'd be football and beer here, too."

"Yeah! Did you get the Pumpkin Pie one?"

"No, I did not buy pumpkin beer," Mac said with a snort and an exaggerated eye roll. Then he gave Bozer a little smirk. "Besides, you can't have any. Bullet wounds and pain pills don't go with beer."

"Flag on the play, roomie! I won't over do it!"

"You're not gonna do it at all. I know you know the do's and don'ts by now." He raised a half teasing eyebrow.

A realization dawned. "This is for all the times I…"

"Acted like a mother bear with a wounded cub if I got so much as a paper cut at work since you found out what I really do?" Mac laughed. "Pretty much."

"I guess that's fair. When Murdoc tagged you last winter you told me I was worse than Jack!"

A shadow passed over Mac's face briefly. Then he grinned and Boze thought it looked pretty genuine. "I apologize. That was uncalled for. Nobody's worse than Jack."

"I was flattered," Bozer laughed. "You think he'll get to call for the holiday?"

The shadow was back full force. "I don't know. I haven't heard from him in a while."

"Oh … You think he's okay?"

"Desi talked to him the other day," Mac said, his voice almost overly casual.

"Well, that's good. At least you know he's doing alright."

"Yeah." Mac sighed.

Time to get him back in a more holiday friendly mood. "One beer? If I promise to back off next time you're the one in a sling?"

"Oh, so there's already a next time. Great." He laughed and shook his head, getting back up to start the dishes.

"Mac, with you there's always a next time. Desi says you have a Boy Scout Complex."

"Desi has the same overprotective gene you and Jack have in common. She just yells more."

Bozer chuckled. "Hey, I'm gonna go get cleaned up. Do _not_ touch the turkey until I'm back to help."

"Alright, man. I won't even look at the turkey without you. Lemme know if you need help with your bandages."

"I think I got it, but thanks." Bozer left Mac to the mountain of morning dishes.

By the time he returned, Mac had the table set, cranberries in a saucepan with some really good smelling spices, and an almost nervous energy that told Bozer he needed to keep his friend busy.

So that's what he did.

Bozer went into full film director mode. And just like when Mac used to let himself be drafted into every crazy project Boze wanted to put on film, he fell to and did exactly what Bozer said.

They sautéed vegetables in sage butter, made dressing out of homemade bread, roasted squash and turnips, made green bean casserole which Mac said he'd be happy to make but was not ever going to eat. Riley got there not too far into the process and helped with the turkey. She wasn't much better in the kitchen than Mac but she'd taken a lot of coaching from Boze leading up to the big day.

She also got a couple of glasses of the champagne she'd brought into Mac after a silent mostly eyes and eyebrows conversation with Bozer about something being up with their favorite genius. He was busy enough and buzzed enough that he'd started to relax a little bit.

Matty showed up and announced she had an assignment for the team for after the holiday weekend. Riley groaned but she then smiled and told them it was for the think tank. So Bozer could go, too. She was sending them to a research facility in Hawaii so Mac and Bozer could consult on some AI development and show off Sparky.

"So like a vacation?" Bozer asked incredulously.

"Yes, like a vacation. But with Sparky and lab coats. And possibly transporting and important package. But no security concerns whatsoever."

"Package?" Mac asked, zeroing in on the part that didn't sound like vacation.

"An asset that's picking up some experimental technologies for an important mission from the DARPA facility that maybe still owes us a favor."

"Oh. That's good," Mac replied absently.

Matty poured another glass of champagne and put it in his hands. "I shouldn't have mentioned work. That's too serious a face for a holiday, Blondie."

He took a drink. "Sorry. I…"

She gave him a look and he sat so she was eye level. "I get it. Not too long ago you expected a family holiday. Jim told me what happened between you. I'm sorry this isn't the holiday you'd hoped for. I hoped Hawaii would be a pleasant surprise."

He smiled, and it looked mostly genuine. "It is. Thank you, Matty." He moved to get up but she was still giving him _the look_.

"I also know he's not the only missing piece. I'd like help with that, too."

"I appreciate that. And I'm glad you're here."

She patted his arm and let him get back to his slightly maniacal cooking.

Boze returned from down the hall. "Mac, did you know your phone is still in your bedroom on the charger?"

Mac looked up from stirring the gravy. "Yeah. I didn't figure I needed it."

"Well, it keeps ringing."

Mac shrugged. "It's probably my dad calling again." Bozer and Riley both opened their mouths to say something. And he could tell it was going to be one of those 'he's still your dad' things, so he didn't let them get that far. "I'll try him back after we eat."

Matty was smiling. Riley thought it was definitely her superspy smile and was about to try to pull her aside to find out what she was up to when the doorbell rang.

Mac looked vaguely panicked. He didn't want to ask guests to answer his door, but he was also stirring three different pots and starting to really wish Bozer had both hands, because cooking was definitely more intimidating than diffusing bombs. "Can somebody please…?"

"I'll get it." Matty strode off toward the door, still smiling her secretive smile.

A moment later Desi strode into the kitchen, her cell phone pressed to her ear. "Yeah, he's definitely home. He's standing at his stove cooking like your Nana."

Mac looked a little like an animal caught in headlights, but a grin that was more genuine than any other he'd worn today was spreading over his face. "Hey, Desi. Glad you could make it."

"You didn't leave me any choice. _Someone _has been trying to call you all morning to say happy thanksgiving and you've been letting him go to voicemail. So what do I do? Run right over here from picking up my friend from the airport so he can stop chewing my ear off about it!"

She looked and sounded thoroughly annoyed as she thrust her cell at Mac. He took it, his eyes wide. As Desi turned away she tipped Riley and Bozer a wink.

"Um, hello?"

"You avoidin' me or somethin', kid?"

"Jack! I wasn't expecting to hear from you! I figured you were…"

"Cause it's gonna be real awkward if you are, What with me bein' on your porch an' all."

Mac's jaw dropped. "You...what...I'm…"

Jack walked into the kitchen followed by Matty who was positively beaming.

Riley squealed and threw herself into Jack's arms. He pulled her in and held her right for a minute. "Hey, little girl. How you been?"

She just shook her head against his chest, crying in relief at seeing him in one piece somewhere other than a shaking video call, and total overwhelm at feeling his arms around her. "Yeah, me, too, sweetheart."

He turned to Mac a few moments later. Mac felt his eyes well up and he opened his mouth to say something but a smoke alarm blared. So instead of what he wanted to do or say, he exclaimed, "Oh, no!" and tried to figure out what of the ten things he was cooking was trying to catch fire.

Mac regained his composure and was pulling the turkey out of the oven, pulling things off the heat, and losing himself in the final preparations for their meal.

He heard the conversation around him, Jack telling everyone about his assignment to go to Hawaii and how Matty had pulled some strings so he could be here today. It was a short leave, but he was grateful for it.

Mac needed to keep doing what he was doing, because he found he wanted to do exactly what Riley did, hug the big lug and cry like a kid. But he wasn't going to do that. That wasn't a thing he did. It just wasn't.

Desi was suddenly next to him. "Can I help?"

Mac shook his head. He was frowning. "Jack was the friend you were picking up at the airport."

She grinned and elbowed him. "You're good. It's almost like you're a spy or something."

He chuckled. "And you planned on coming over today the whole time."

"Of course I did, genius. I wasn't gonna miss Jack getting to spend today with his kids."

He didn't miss the plural she used. And he knew she got it from Jack. He felt his throat tightening again. "I'm glad you're here. Both of you."

Matty got everyone started taking full dishes to the table on the deck. Suddenly Mac found himself alone in the kitchen with Jack.

Jack gave him a tentative grin. "You weren't avoiding me, were ya?"

Mac shook his head. "I was avoiding Oversight to be honest. I didn't have my phone on me because… I didn't wanna deal with having to ignore his calls in front of people."

"Desi told me things haven't been good." He raised an eyebrow. "So I'm not on the send to voicemail list?"

"Of course not. I really didn't think I'd hear from you. You haven't called much." He didn't mean for it to sound like an accusation, but it did.

Jack took a step closer. "I've been planning this little visit for a minute. I knew if I talked to ya, you'd know what I was up to."

"You're right about that." Mac smiled a little. "Welcome home, pal."

"I'm sorry it's not for good yet, but I'm real glad to see ya, kid."

" Um...me, too." Mac hesitated, then he stuck out his hand to shake Jack's. That's how they'd said goodbye when Jack left. More than that and Mac was pretty sure they would both break down. When Jack ignored his hand and pulled him into a fierce hug a second later, he was proven right.

They broke apart a moment later, both trying to pull it together because they knew they had to go out and eat with everyone. They both grabbed tissues. "Better turn off the damned water works or Nguyen will call us a couple little girls," Jack said with genuine affection.

Mac snickered over a sniffle. "She'll probably call us that at some point no matter what."

"Ain't that the truth?"

At that moment Desi stuck her head in, pretending she couldn't tell there'd been tears, because she knew damned well there had been. She'd shed a few herself when Jack walked into the terminal with that big grin of his. "Hey, you ladies done having your big reunion in here? Food's getting cold and we're gonna miss kickoff!"

"Coming, Desi," Mac called.

The two men shared a grin and joined the group for dinner.

Later, when everyone else had either left or passed out in a food coma from Mac's excellent first successful holiday feast, they sat on Mac's couch together watching their traditional holiday movie together.

Jack raised a fresh beer, "I know you're not much for toasts and stuff, kid, but since it's the holiday and all, I just wanna say when I'm thankful, and I try to be more than just today, you and Ri are always on the list."

Mac glanced at Jack, but didn't quite want to look at him fully. Every time he did, he remembered this wasn't permanent. "I know you like to remind me to count my blessings." He raised his beer, too. "You're one of 'em, pal. And I'm also pretty grateful for the houseful of friends I had today, most of whom I owe you for, too."

"Happy Thanksgiving, kid."

"Happy Thanksgiving, pal."

They tapped the necks of their beer bottles together and went back to watching the movie.

Both were very aware that this was just a fleeting moment, that after next week things would go back to the way they had been; they'd be separated again and in their own kinds of danger. But both were also thankful that for the moment at least, their family was together.


End file.
